A Journey Through Africa

An Overland Journey Across Africa

We’ve set out on a journey through Africa armed with a map, camera, and Landcruiser. Research for the journey has turned up cobwebs online regarding travel in Africa. Leaving us with the feeling that it’s a blank on too many travelers maps. It was our last continent to step foot on too, not including Antarctica. Why is that? Africa is adventurous, dramatic, culturally unique, and unparalleled in many aspects. Is that not what sells these days? Our peer’s dreams are to road trip through America, Europe, Australia, or Asia. Or to get the house with the white picket fence. Africa is never in the picture. There are not many dreams of Africa.

We read stories of traveling to new destinations, but they’re always the same. The beauty of travel is the idea of being lost in a culture and environment. Not mass tourism resulting local resentment and a dilution of culture. Even travel bloggers aren’t immune to this. They might be avoiding the worst tourist traps, but many are after what sells, or pays. As photographers, vloggers, digital artists, travel writers, and bloggers we’ve set out to share our adventure with you in real time. Stories from the ground days. Not months, or years later. The photos won’t be the same ones seen everywhere, nor will the stories. We aren’t here to inspire you, but to help develop a picture of what life and travel is like in Africa.

This isn’t an overland tour with a company on a set route. It is, in essence, a true road trip. There is no set end date. You could even call it the greatest tour of Southern and Eastern Africa. Our lodging will go from five star dream lodges to roasting marshmallows over an open flame while swatting at mozzies. We want to experience it all and leave a trail across the continent of photographs, moments, stories, and advice. Now would be a great time to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. The journey will be difficult and frustrating at points, and that is part of what excites us.

A road trip across the continent will be filled with stress, broken roads, exhaustion, and God knows what else. There are whole countries where petrol is scarce and the roads are dirt. However, animal and human life here is at its most triumphant. Life in Africa is a struggle against inhospitable elements not found elsewhere in the world. It is home to some of most dramatic landscapes, a place of staggering beauty where the wild still remains.

#HashtagAfrica

The African continent has been used and abused. It has seen slavery, colonialism, war, genocide, exploitation, political instability, and mass poverty. It is impossible for us, two privileged white people from the United States, to even come close to relating. However, we hope to delve into the continent to reach a better understanding of the world we live in. We are not scared, but excited. Despite the fear mongering that seems to hang over the continent there is a magnetism to the continent that has been beckoning explorers and travelers for centuries. Africa is vibrant, wild, and way more complex than we can understand. It’s been known to confound the traveler and get under the skin. Things here do not always make sense to the western world. T.I.A. This is Africa. It’s not always going to be pretty and certainly not dull. Hashtag Africa is aimed at celebrating Africa and exploration.

We’re going to help shine a light on what was once the “Dark Continent,” a name that originated over 150 years ago due to the lack of information in mysterious lands. A name so fitting it still holds truth today. Although, we’re not the first to travel this large section of the world we are going to attempt to share stories that aren’t told nearly enough. We’re going to be blogging, tweeting, sharing and pushing all things Africa for the next six months.

This isn’t the standard trip through a country, city, town, village, or continent. We’re not going to share the same content either as it’s impossible to convey the atmosphere of a place through a top 10 list. Feel free to check here for produced content that is fresh and original. One of the many forms of story telling will be our travel log, where we will be writing whenever we can.

The Logistics

Dream all you want, but to actually accomplish something requires details. So here it goes! The World Pursuit’s journey starts in Cape Town, South Africa and will continue as far north as we can go. Dare we say Cairo? We’re going to need a serious set of wheels to complete a task like that. So, forget renting a compact car and heading North crossing 12 country borders. It would end up in a ditch somewhere in Namib Desert. The conclusion was to purchase our own desert crushing, mud slinging, pothole jumping monster.

The car is a 1989 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ62 (It’s as old as Natasha!), with an inline V6 2F Toyota engine famous for it’s torque output. To sweeten the deal it’s got a 5 speed trans to save us on the highway. We’re pretty sure it would entertain any gear head. The Land Cruiser is a badass vehicle made to cross Africa and was simply the clear choice. The simple mechanical construction means there is little to go wrong. However, when it does go wrong any mechanic, including Cameron, can fix it. She is a work horse and we couldn’t be happier to have found “Charlie.” Yes, we had to name her.

We’re carrying a truck full of supplies too. Everything from tools, medical supplies, jerry cans, camping gear, photography equipment, a water tank, and lots of documentation. It is so much stuff that we decided to create a full on list for those who are interested in completing the journey themselves, or have some time on their hands. Between Cape Town and Cairo is about 10,000km if we drive there directly – and there is no way we would let Africa pass us by like that!